Page 1 of Hooking the Captain
1
FORD
My parents draggedme away from campus for dinner to celebrate the massive commercial real estate deal my father had closed. While they discussed the details of Dad’s hard work, I tuned them out and thought about the night before when my ex, Tyler, shot down my attempt at getting back together by kissing him in the hallway at the frat house.
We were seniors at Hawkins University and five months ago, I had made a huge mistake when I called things off between us, and I’d been living with regret ever since.
For a short time after our breakup, I’d acted like a dick. It was a stupid attempt on my part to put distance between us, so I could move on. And while I succeeded in pushing Tyler away, I was left miserable and missing him even when I tried hooking up with other people. Eventually, I switched tactics and spent the last couple of months trying to get him to talk to me because I felt there was still something between us.
“Are you okay, darling?” Mom placed a hand on my arm, pulling me from my thoughts. “You’ve been quiet all evening.”
“Yeah, Mom, I’m fine,” I lied. “Just been busy with the last of my assignments before graduation.”
Dad smiled and lifted his glass. “It’s baffling how quickly time has gone by. It seems like just yesterday we were helping you move into your dorm for freshman year. Now you’re almost done with school. We’re so proud of you and can’t wait to see what you do next.”
“Thanks.” I smiled, even though on the inside, all I cared about was getting Tyler back.
I’d really fucked things up ...
Tylerand I lay in his bed facing each other with our heads on our hands like we had most nights for the past three months. I liked him a lot, but keeping our relationship on the down-low was getting harder and harder. Every time I sneaked in or out of his room, I worried one of our fraternity brothers would catch me. While they all seemed cool with Tyler and our president, Fallon, being gay, my past experiences had convinced me that it wasn’t always safe when people found out about someone’s sexuality.
“Are you excited for your trip to San Diego?” I asked softly.
Tyler was traveling home to visit his family for the holidays, while I would be staying in Boston and celebrating with my parents and grandparents.
“Definitely,” he replied. “I’m ready for a break and some California sunshine.”
“I can’t wait for a break, and I can’t believe we’re one semester away from graduation.”
“I know right? It seems so strange that we’re almost done.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “As long as I can pass all my classes. I was stupid and saved some of my hardest courses for this term.”
“Same.” He chuckled. “Although my photojournalism class should be easy.”
“I’m jealous. I’d rather take photos than study econometrics.”
“Speaking of taking photos.” He got out of his bed and walked to his desk where a professional looking camera sat. “I bought this yesterday. I thought maybe we could have a little fun with it before I leave.”
A chill ran through my body. Tyler had no idea his idea triggered painful memories of someone taking pictures of me without my knowledge and then using them to shame me. The room felt as though it was closing in and I needed to get out as fast as possible.
“I’m not feeling very good.” I climbed out of the bed.
“What?” He looked at me with concern. “Why?”
“I don’t know, just sort of hit me.” That wasn’t really a lie.
“Do you need me to get you anything?”
I shook my head. “No, I think I just need to sleep it off.”
“Okay. Hopefully, we can hang out a bit before I leave tomorrow.”
I gave him a tight smile. “Yeah. Hopefully.”
Sitting in my room the next night, I scrolled through my contacts and pressed the call button on the number I’d only ever texted. My heart started to race and my leg bounced up and down. Tyler had left for the airport a couple of hours earlier, and I’d waited until the last minute before he boarded his flight to try to talk to him.
The phone rang a few times, and just when I thought I would have to leave him a message, he answered. “Hey, you missing me already?” he teased.
